


as if the stars have fallen into the sea

by SpeakInInk



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Animal Traits, M/M, Nobleman!Wang Ziyi, Pirate!Cai Xukun, Pirates, Prince!Cai Xukun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-10-12 15:36:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20566736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeakInInk/pseuds/SpeakInInk
Summary: One is a prince, fleeing across the ocean, the other under the stars, left behind.





	as if the stars have fallen into the sea

**Author's Note:**

> This can be considered its own work, but it is a spin off of the main story Lost Treasures. It goes further into Cai Xukun and Wang Ziyi’s past and relationship, and how they got to where they are.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two boys live and learn, the world starting to shake beneath them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is currently an unfinished chapter, but because i was an idiot and accidentally hit post, its here now. i do not want to delete this entire thing because im annoyed at myself, so it will remain here until it is completed. thank you for understanding.

The sky was clear, and the breeze whispered as it went, speaking of two children running through the golden fields. Their small feet flew over the rolling hills, the occasional tumble giving no sway to the grind plastered onto their faces.

”Come on!”

A young boy cried out, his eyes alight with a icy hue of silver and his hair whipping around his face. He glanced behind him, only to find his friend gone from the tall grasses. He paused, trotting to a halt, at the peak of a hill, peering down into the grass so as to find his friend.

”Ku-ack!”

A solid body collided with him, his friend bursting from the swaths of golden flowers like a predator hunting its prey. He crumpled under the weight-but determined not to fall alone-he grabbed his friends collar and yanked him down with him. They tumbled through the grasses and flowers, pollen puffing into the air as they rolled down the hill. Their laughter sang through the air, carried by a equally amused winds as they twirled around the two young boys.

They lay side by side at the bottom of the mound, drawing in lungfuls of breathless giggles and undignified snorts. One of the boys sneezed, and another bought of chortling began. The first boy drew himself to his elbows, looking over to the boy laying next to him. 

His friend’s brown hair was tousled and messy, surely just as disastrously grass-covered and tufted as his own. His face was stretched into a contented grin, and his eyes were closed, face unturned and soaking up the the sunlight. He was spread starfish style, palms tuned up and clutching a few blades of long green grass. He huffed, and turned to the first boy, who’s own face was smiling blissfully at him.

”You’ve been caught.”

”Guess I have.”

The first boy reached over, and something in the other’s chest fluttered. Soft fingers brushed his lips, and for a moment the world itself halted. But only for a heartbeat. The brush of warmth drew away, and in front of his face a flower was being waved, held gently between two fingertips.

”Mom always says to never eat something that you find randomly in nature.”

He smirked as the second boy huffed, pushing himself up to sit and cast him a sulky glance. “Why is everything so restricted?” 

“Well, you really shouldn’t eat random flowers.”

”I know that, it’s just...”

Silence fell over the two as they remained there for a few more precious moments.

And as they did, the sun continued to shine down upon them, the field’s golden hue brightening as if the future would as well.

* * *

A name echoed through the east courtyard of the Chun Palace, familiar to every ear that held a staff position in the palace. It resonated from the base of an ancient oak tree, its largest branches the width of four grown men and able to bear the weight of maybe ten, bowing to brush the cobblestone ground or reaching impossibly high. Even the leaves, fanning out wider as each day got warmer and longer, were already growing larger than an adult's hand.

A woman stood beside one of the knobbly roots, squinting up the trunk of the tree for a splash of color amidst the green.

"Your Highness, get down from there!"

A frantic cry tore from the elder maid, her hands wringing wildly as she watched a young boy sit atop of a tree branch. His legs swung carelessly, not paying her any attention, and the grey gloves on his hands getting scratched and poked with bark and dirtied by crumbling moss. His robes were colored auburn, but after this was over they'd likely be a more muddy color, draping over the branch and getting moss and dirt all over the fine fabric.

Eight years old, and Cai Xukun, crown prince and heir of the Kingdom of ZhongHua, was currently escaping his princely duties by climbing up the ancient oak tree. He sat mindlessly on one of its enormous branches, heedless to the possibility of falling and scaring the daylights out of the maid sent to find him. She stared up at him still, unable to bring him down herself, her gift of speaking to horses completely useless in this situation.

Xukun blocked out her desperate cries, and surely a guard would be here soon enough to try and convince him to come down, or just force him down. Instead, he was peering through a window on the east side of the palace, a small figure hunched over behind the intricately built window slats. The figure was still, seated on a wide window-seat and something in hand.

A small pebble rolled between his fingers, cool against the silken fabric as he edged toward the window.

He inched closer, the large oak branch creaking only slightly under his weight. Xukun rolled his shoulder, winding his arm back and his tongue peeking from his mouth.

The stone flew, sailing through one of the small openings and clicking against wood.

The head of the figure flew up, turning to where the stone may have fallen, and then big doe eyes turned to Xukun. He grinned as the window quietly creaked open, sunlight dappling across the pale face that poked from the opening. "Kunkun, what are you doing up there?" Joy bubbled in Xukun's gut as his friend quirked an eyebrow at him, leaning forward on his elbows against the windowsill.

Wang Ziyi, aged eight, peered at his friend from where he sat on the red wood, cross-legged on the oak branch a little ways above his head, and Xukun kept on beaming. "Ditching sword lessons." Ziyi giggled softly, clenching and unclenching his hands. The white silk was warm against his palms and arms, dipping under the long sleeved hanfu he wore. "Wish I could ditch Kingdom history, Chen-Laoshi insists I read through half of this script by next night." The other boy lifted up a hefty looking book, the binding aged and falling apart.

"Why don't you?" Xukun asked, unperturbed as Ziyi snorted, "Chen-Laoshi would have my head. I've skipped so many times already, he'll tell my father."

"Please?" 

"I don't know...."

"Pl-ease~?"

It took only a moment of hesitation, Ziyi glancing between the book and his tree-sitting friend.

A second more, the book was set down, and he stepped up onto the red windowsill.

Xukun leaned down to lay on his stomach, his hand dangling away from Ziyi's face. He reached out, grasping Ziyi's outstretched hand and tensing his arm. An oak branch hovered a small leap from the windowsill, and Ziyi rocked back on his heels. His feet left the red wood sill, stepping daintily albeit unsteadily onto the branch. It bowed under his weight, and Xukun pulled up, Ziyi quickly stepping further inward. He got to the more solid part of the branch in moments, a wide smile stretching across his face, "A lot of near misses have payed off."

Xukun huffed as he began making his way across the branch he was on, a pout on his face. "Don't remind me, I still remember the time we actually missed."

"We were lucky Du-Laoshi saw us and saved our butts."

"Yeah."

Silence stretched for a handful of moments as Xukun remembered that incident. It was only less than a year ago, but Xukun had overestimated his strength after doing numerous rounds of sword technique training. He'd been unprepared and more than a little fatigued from a restless night. Ziyi had still been nervous stepping out onto the branch, and he had only just gotten his feet planted on to bark when Xukun's arm gave way and he let go. Ziyi slipped from the branch, and it was only thanks to a nearby guard seeing the boy fall that injuries were prevented.

Thankfully, the two boys were much more prepared to save each other from that.

It was only moments later as they neared the lower branches did Xukun realize the maid was gone. He glance to where she had stood, his mind straying to her disappearance as Ziyi slipped down from a higher branch beside him. "Something wrong?" Xukun felt Ziyi's breath ghost past his shoulder as he leaned forward, following his gaze to the spot next to the root.

"Um-I don't think so..."

"Prince!" a new, masculine voice roared over the cobblestone, the clink of armor plates ringing slightly and accompanied by the patter of lighter feet. A massive man strode toward the two boys, undoubtedly asked for help by the same elder maid who scrambled to catch up to his quick pace. 

"Xukun, is that...?"

"Y-yep."

Cai LongWei approached them as they stood frozen on the branch, his eyes stern as he grew closer. His plate armor rattled faintly, and his hair was pulled into the customary militant bun. His presence radiated overwhelming might and authority, and Xukun felt anxiousness and giddiness bubble in his chest as the man stopped a little way under the branch. Silence persisted for a few heartbeats, no one saying a word as Xukun and the huge man stared at each other. A slender hand pressed against his shoulder, and Xukun turned to see Ziyi smiling at him, "Go and greet your uncle, you've missed him."

"But..what if he doesn't," he paused, his lips pressing together. Ziyi's smile faltered the tiniest bit. "What if he doesn't what?"

"..doesn't remember me." It came out as a mumble, but it was loud enough for Ziyi to give Xukun a light slap on the shoulder. "He's your only uncle, of course he'll remember you. You are his only nephew, the son of his brother the Emperor."

"He hasn't seen me since I was four."

"Just becuase he's been gone so long doesn't mean you won't remember his nephew."

"But-" Ziyi glared at him, "Go down before I shove you KunKun."

"Alright alright, I'll go."

Apprehension swirled in his gut as he clambered down the thick, twisted bark of the oak, peeking over his shoulder to see his uncle had not moved, an unreadable look on his face. It took under a minute to reach to ground, and as soon as Xukun's feet touched the rough cobblestone he turned around and two huge arms wrapped around him. He squeezed his eyes shut in a moment of panic as his feet were swept from the ground, a joyful laugh sounding from beside him.

He opened his eyes to see the world spinning rapidly, the solid pressure of his uncle's arms pressed against his chest and under his arms, and the warmth of a broad chest against his back. Ziyi was being held next to him in a similar position, his face bright with laughter that sounded like bells, and something twinged under his skin. His uncle's guffaw's were the ocean against rocks, deep and rumbling, jovial and weighted with weary tiredness laced beneath. His own laugh that escaped his throat was breathless and filled with unrestrained happiness.

"LongWei-bo! The spinning!" Xukun gasped, his brain beginning to hurt as the twirling continued uncontrollably.

It took what felt like an eternity for the world to stop spinning and go from a whirlwind of brown, grey, green and red to more solid images. Something in him yearned for the solidity of the world and the ground beneath his feet, but another part desperately wanted to keep spinning and escape from reality.

But for the moment, Xukun dangled from his uncle's arms, wheezing slightly as he regained his breath. Beside him, Ziyi had dissolved into giggles, and it took a handful of seconds for Xukun to realize that the target of his laughter was him. 

"Wha..? Ziyi continued to giggle, and suddenly the weight of his uncle's hand was on his head, ruffling his hair violently. "Your hair was quite messy." Embarrassment burned faintly on his cheeks, and Xukun swatted his uncle's hand away to try and pat down his wild locks, "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome," Ziyi snorted, grinning at him as they were finally set down. Xukun stumbled slightly, the world not quite as stable as he'd like it. He grumbled softly, trying to right himself and tripping over his feet clumsily. 

"Its been so long, zhizi." Cai LongWei's voice was as deep as he'd remembered, bubbling with mirth as his nephew stumbled around blindly, shaking his head. "Still can't take spin attacks very well."

"I'm not expecting to be tossed around like that," Xukun puffed indignantly, coming to a halt when Ziyi's hand grabs onto his and pulls him over. The maid stares him down, disapproval clear on her features, but he averts his gaze sheepishly. Surely he's gonna get reprimanded for dirtying his clothes. "It's good to see you, LongWei-bo."

"So polite, nothing less from our little prince."

"Yeah-"

"Your Highness!"

A voice called from the courtyard gate, and all four heads turn to see a palace guard walking quickly towards them. He bows when he approaches, "You have been ordered to meet His Majesty is the throne room."

Apprehension clawed through Xukun's chest as the guard offers no further information on his summons, but his uncle speaks first. "For what reason if the prince being called?" The guard cast a nervous glance at his uncle, before meeting Xukun's own gaze. Ziyi's hand is still grasping his, and in the moment of pause, he squeezes his friend's hand. A reasuring squeeze is all he gets before the words that ring through the air bring everything to a halt.

"He said that the prince is to prepare for his Gift Search."

* * *

The throne room is cold and silent. Not as word is uttered, and Xukun feels as though he's been tossed into the sea during mid-winter. His father, the King of ZhongHua, looks down on him with emotionless eyes, piercing his skin like medicine needles.

He can't help but want to slip himself into one of the old crevices of the castle wall, and holding his father's unrelenting stare pushes his heart into his throat.

His father's lips are twisting more into a frown as the quiet oppresses the atmosphere, and Xukun flinching minutely as the gaze shifted from him to his uncle who stood at his side.

The silence breaks with a mere handful of words forced past the king's mouth, as though saying it once more would crush Xukun under their weight.

"He leaves in two days time."

And boy, does Xukun feel absolutely destroyed.

* * *

_Gift Searches_

_Log 27 _

_Chen Tao _

_It had become a trend for the rulers of our land to send their children off into other lands under safe passage in hopes that they return wiser. The main objective of these journeys is for the young royals to become stronger, wiser in the matters of the world. They hope to send them off and for them to return a better ruler than their parents._

_But now, following to Age of the Bronze War and the fall of other kingdoms, the kings and queens send their children aged over five and under ten on quests for a powerful gift, one that will bring their enemies to their knees if another war is to strike._

_The children wears gloves now, the heir's held in such reverent manner I fear they haven't even brushed skin with a single creature since their birth. I have seen even the tiniest insect crushed under a guard's fingertip as though it has stirred great offense by even being in the same room. Royal pets are locked away when the heir steps a single foot outside their room, or sent away permanently. The heir cannot even begin learning what fur or scales feel like, or sit on a horse without the constant fear that the creature will bless them with an 'inadequate' gift._

_Some return months after departing, others come back years later. But since Gift Searches began, only a single heir has returned with a gift deemed entirely inadequate_

* * *

The palace walls had always been a means to display great feats of glory and honor, brushstrokes painting entire lifetimes over the surfaces throughout almost every corridor. There were images of kings and queens dating back to the time of the First and her reign, and as Xukun turned the corner he looked up and faced his grandfather. Eyes painted gold pierced Xukun's chest, and the image of the previous king rose above his small form, the man astride a great stallion with a blade in hand and a snarl over his lips. Scattered below the frozen figure were soldiers, crests of the ZhongHua kingdom ablaze through the smokey scumbling of grey paint, surging into the battle that drew the king to glory among all others. Xukun is frozen, and with the image of his war-hungry relative looming over him, something crushes the nervous fluttering in his stomach.

He is leaving today. Today he sets off to find a creature that will gift him with a power stronger than everything his father couldn't posses, and it will define his future for as long as they hover over the brink of war.

Xukun is a hundred percent sure the maid standing beside him can hear his heartbeat threatening to surge from his chest and out his mouth. Her quiet request to continue moving jostles him, and Xukun tears his eyes away from the painting. In the silence of the cavernous hallways, his heart pounding wildly drowns out his own footsteps and the daintier steps of the woman beside him. The doorway at the end of the hall looms closer, and with each second that passes Xukun feels even more unprepared for the future.

The guards standing at either sides of the doors reach to open them, sending light spilling across the rich wood floors and Xukun steps through the threshold into the open air. He is met with a cloudless blue morning sky, birds soaring overhead and the sounds of nature flood his senses as the woods wake for the new day. The birds flutter about, red wings catching the sunlight at angles that set them alight as though they were phoenixes of myth, and in that moment all Xukun is wishing for is the freedom that the birds have.

Freedom to choose how he lives, how he behaves and moves, and which animal he will be gifted by.

He is so caught up in his wishful thinking that he wasn't registering walking down a flight of stairs to the central courtyard or the reassuring whisper of the maid beside him. He didn't notice the concerned look his uncle was sending him, or the slight sniffles of someone approaching him as he stood on the cobblestone, numb and cloudy-minded.

Willowy arms curl around him, shaky and warm through the layers of silk. "Just come back Kunkun, please."

And the spell is broken, the dull humming of his swirling thoughts disappears and Xukun is blinking back tears. Ziyi's arms tighten around his shoulders, still trembling and his face is buried in Xukun's shoulder rubbing against to coarse fabric of his travel clothes. He had always been quicker to tears for as long as Xukun had known him, and now he was going to be separated from his best friend for however long this journey would take.

Xukun raises his arms from where they'd hovered at his side, wrapping around Ziyi's torso in a vice-like hug.

"I'll be back soon enough, just you wait and see," he says to his watery-eyed friend, black lashes clumped together over the tears slipping down Ziyi's pale face. Ziyi laughs breathily, still clutching Xukun's shirt tightly. "I'm holding you to that Kunkun, just make it back safely."

"I will Zi-"

"Your Highness," a curt voice broke the solemn air. "It is time to leave." A guard with a stern face is looking down at the two, lips pressed into a firm line and a scar rippling over his mouth in a slash. "We must make it to the checkpoint by nightfall so as to ensure the journey is efficient."

Ziyi pulls away first, hastily rubbing away his tears and grabbing Xukun's hand. Something rounded and smooth is pressed into his palm, and Xukun blinks dumbfounded. "You still have this?" 

"Of course, you got sulky when I told you I'd lost it."

"I thought you just tossed it.."

"Pfft, I wouldn't do that."

A stone nearly the size of his palm rests in his hand, cool grey painted over by the shaky brushstrokes of a six-year old Xukun who'd stumbled upon some white paint and shown a similarly six-year old Ziyi. A messy cluster of daisies covers the rock surface, some slightly smudged or worn away from hands.

"You asked me to keep it, so I did. Take it with you."

"I-okay."

"Your Highness."

"Right, leaving."

Xukun hugs Ziyi one more time, slipping the stone securely into the folds of his clothes before turning to the awaiting carriage. Six men and women in armor are standing around it, and two horses are tethered to it with a man siting in front with the reigns in hand. He is hoisted up, placed inside the covered part of the carriage gently and asked to sit. The door closes, and Xukun leans to see Ziyi smiling sadly beside his uncle, robes a muted green shade and patterned with a flower of some sort. 

His friend waves to him as the carriage jolts, moving forward and out of the courtyard. A glimpse of something red by the heavy wooden doors draws his eye, and Xukun is looking to see his father staring down, expression unreadable.

But instead of his father's face, Xukun is thinking of the flower embroidered on Ziyi's robes.

He turns to a guard walking beside the carriage, "Miss, what flower is that on my friend's robes?" The women looks back to Ziyi, who is still waving as his features become indiscernible as the distance widens, before responding kindly. "It looks to be a gardenia flower, Your Highness."


End file.
